like sardines
idiom
: without enough room to move around
A large crowd of reporters was crammed/packed like sardines into a small room.
Examples of like sardines in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Generac Power Stage on July 5 was packed like sardines, spilling into every possible walkway.
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jsonline.com, 5 July 2025
We were packed like sardines into a living room that’d been rearranged to make way for foldout plastic tables that could accommodate 18.Bits of light from the candlesticks wedged into the necks of old wine bottles glinted in eyes and across cheeks.
—Dylin Hardcastle, People.com, 1 June 2025
As for trending-in-design fish like sardines or even their tinier cousins, anchovies, Forbes believes the latest fascination stems from the perennial appeal of the fisherman aesthetic at large — something that was spotlighted in the 2025 Pinterest Predicts trend report.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 2 July 2025
Other fatty fishes, like sardines with bones and mackerel, offer the same vitamin D and omega-3 benefits, Wright told Fox News Digital.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for like sardines
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jsonline.com, 5 July 2025
We were packed like sardines into a living room that’d been rearranged to make way for foldout plastic tables that could accommodate 18.Bits of light from the candlesticks wedged into the necks of old wine bottles glinted in eyes and across cheeks.
—Dylin Hardcastle, People.com, 1 June 2025
As for trending-in-design fish like sardines or even their tinier cousins, anchovies, Forbes believes the latest fascination stems from the perennial appeal of the fisherman aesthetic at large — something that was spotlighted in the 2025 Pinterest Predicts trend report.
—Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 2 July 2025
Other fatty fishes, like sardines with bones and mackerel, offer the same vitamin D and omega-3 benefits, Wright told Fox News Digital.
—Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for like sardines
Cite this Entry
“Like sardines.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/like%20sardines. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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